


Good-Looking and Successful

by ami_ven



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsheplets, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-29
Updated: 2014-01-29
Packaged: 2018-01-10 11:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1159070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ami_ven/pseuds/ami_ven
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this.  You do remember that I hated high school?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good-Looking and Successful

**Author's Note:**

> written for LJ community "mcsheplets" prompt #133 "transformation"

“McKay,” growled John, as they walked through the hotel lobby. “Quit fidgeting.”

“I’m not fidgeting,” Rodney protested, except that he was.

John smiled at the receptionist. “We’re here for the reunion.”

“In the main hall,” she said. “Check in at the door.”

“I can’t believe I let you talk me into this,” Rodney muttered, as they started down the hall. “You do remember that I hated high school?”

“Rodney…”

“Seriously, worst point in my entire life. Including Siberia.”

“Rodney…

“I was a short, slightly chubby geek with a girl’s name, but that still doesn’t—”

“ _Rodney_ ,” said John. “A high school reunion is not about who actually liked high school. It’s about showing the jerks who used to pick on you that you turned out to be good-looking and successful.”

Rodney looked sideways at him. “There are some serious, repressed issues in your childhood, aren’t there?”

“Rodney…”

“All right, all right,” he said. “But if this goes as badly as I think it will, you’d better make it up to me.”

“Absolutely,” John agreed.

Rodney scowled as they collected their name tags, then deepened when he found that his read ‘Meredith McKay’.

John pinned it to his jacket with an unnecessary amount of touching. “I did mention ‘good-looking’, right?” he asked.

“You—” Rodney began, but was interrupted by a woman’s voice saying, “Meredith?”

She was bleach-blonde and a little on the plump side. Her name tag read ‘Annabelle Hastings’.

“Actually, I go by Rodney, my middle name,” Rodney told her. “And this is John Sheppard.”

John had heard all about Annabelle, the most popular girl in school, who Rodney had tutored in math for years and who had agreed to go to the junior prom with him, only to dump him for someone else a week before the event.

“Lieutenant colonel,” he said, with his best ‘charm the crazy natives’ smile. “I’m Rodney’s boyfriend.”

Her smile faltered slightly, then returned even faker. “How nice. I’m sure you remember my husband— Steve?”

She gestured to a man standing nearby. He was wearing a suit that did little to disguise his impressive beer gut. “Yeah, babe?”

“Oh, god,” said Rodney. “You married _him_?”

Annabelle’s smile faltered again.

“No, no, I get why you dumped me to go to the prom with him. He was the hottest guy in school and captain of the hockey team. Much more socially redeemable than the president of the algebra club.”

“Rodney…” began John, but he couldn’t quite keep the smile out of his voice, and Rodney kept talking.

“But marrying him? What is it you actually do, Steve?”

The other man blinked. “I, um— I’ve got a car dealership, and I’m adding another.”

“Would that be the dealership your father owned when we were in school?” Rodney asked.

“Yeah, it is,” said Steve, a little defensively. “And I’m doing well for myself. But _you_ disappeared right after graduation. One of those American agencies finally lock you up?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “No, they gave me a job. I’ve been working for the American government since I got my second PhD.”

“So… you’re still doing science?” asked Annabelle.

“Science?” Rodney repeated, incredulous. “What I do is—”

“All of Rodney’s work is classified at the highest level,” John interrupted smoothly. “But it’s very important. As a matter of fact, he’s saved my life, more times than I can remember.”

“Really?” asked Annabelle, smirking as though he was telling an amusing story.

“Yes, really,” snapped Rodney. “It’s not even remotely an exaggeration to say that I’ve saved the lives of everyone on this entire planet, including yours. Although at the moment, I’m starting to regret—”

There was a sudden loud metallic _bang!_ from nearby. Several people jumped or shouted in surprise, but John and Rodney both reached automatically for guns they didn’t have, in holsters they weren’t wearing.

“Sorry!” cried a waitress, crouching to pick up her dropped tray.

“That’s all right,” said John, picking up a small plate that had rolled his way and handing it back to her. “Accidents happen.”

“Accidents can cost lives, colonel,” said Rodney, then leveled a finger at the young woman. “Be more careful.”

She nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now get back to… whatever you were doing.”

The waitress flashed him a smile, then vanished back into the kitchen.

John bumped Rodney’s elbow. “That was nice of you, McKay,” he said.

Rodney scowled. “Yes, well, hopefully, she’s able to learn from her mistakes. What?”

Annabelle and Steve were both gaping at them. “You,” the blonde began, then lowered her voice. “You carry a gun, Meredith? What are you, a cop?”

“No, I’m an astrophysicist,” he said.

“And a pretty good shot, who’s saved a lot of lives,” added John. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, Rodney promised to introduce me to the rest of his algebra club. Didn’t you, Rodney?”

“What? Oh, yes, of course.” Rodney smiled, the one John always translated as ‘I find your stupidity amusing’. “Annabelle, Steve, nice to see you.”

John let him get a step ahead, then turned back. “There’s a rumor going that our work will be declassified in the next few years,” he said. “Just keep today in mind.”

He hurried to catch up with Rodney. “So, as bad as you thought it would be?” John asked.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Surprisingly, no. But you’re still making it up to me.”

John grinned. “Absolutely.”

THE END


End file.
